Christmas Surprises
by cwgirlup
Summary: Christmas brings surprises for everyone.


Title: Christmas Surprises  
Author: cwgirlup75  
Rating: T (for one male/male kiss)  
Pairing: Zack/Hodgins  
Spoilers: 'The Man In The Fallout Shelter'  
Summary: Christmas bring surprises for all.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Jack Hodgins and Zack Addy belong to TJ Thyne and Eric Millegan, respectively. Hart Hanson, of course, owns it all.  
A/N: Hodgins POV.

If you enjoy this story, please take a moment to review. Reviews are what keep me motivated to write more :)

Christmas Surprises

"Zack?"

No response. I tried again.

"Hey, Zack."

Still nothing.

"Yo, geek boy!"

"Are you speaking to me, Hodgins?"

"Of course I'm speaking to you. Why are you all wrapped up in your sleeping bag like a mummy?"

"The air in the lab is quite cold. With the prospect of Valley Fever hanging over us, I thought it would be prudent to take steps to minimize the chance of illness."

I gave him my best attempt at a sexy look. "If you're cold, why don't you come over here and let me warm you up?"

He looked at me blankly. "Why would you want to do that?"

The defeated tone in his voice startled me. "What do you mean, why?"

"Well, you said, and I quote, 'I got into the decontamination shower with Zack. Haven't I been through enough hell?' I took that to mean that you have re-considered how you want things between us to proceed."

This conversation was taking a weird turn, and I didn't like where it seemed to be headed. "What the hell are you talking about, Zack?"

He turned his head away from me and looked at the ceiling.

"Obviously, you are embarrassed by me and have decided to end our relationship. While I understand your reasons, I do wish that you had told me privately."

Now I was angry and more than a bit scared. "Well since you have it all figured out, why don't you share my reasons with me."

"You have good social skills, are outgoing and friendly. You can read people and know how to respond to them without giving offense. My abilities in all of these areas are greatly limited. It is only logical that you would want to find someone that you have more in common with to share a relationship."

"Zack, I didn't mean anything by what I said, ok? I was frustrated by the situation and upset with myself for causing it, but that's no excuse. Plus, I was pretty buzzed on eggnog from that party."

"It has been my experience that alcohol and stress serve to lower a person's inhibitions and make them more likely to speak the truth. Therefore, I must conclude that you voiced your true feelings."

"Zack, I didn't mean to say what I said, and I certainly didn't mean for you to think I wanted to break up with you. What can I say to make you believe that?"

"There is little that you can say to change my conclusions. Now, if you don't mind, Hodgins, I'd like to get some sleep." He turned away from me, effectively ending the conversation.

Well damn. I had not expected that at all. Fine then. If I couldn't say anything to change his mind, then I'd _do_ something to change it.

I stayed awake most of the night, trying to think of what I could do to reassure him. I knew it would have to be something that would erase any doubt as to how I felt about him and rid him of the crazy idea that I was embarrassed to have others know we were together. I finally decided what I wanted to do, but I still didn't know when to do it.

Angela's secret Santa idea the next morning provided me with the perfect opportunity. We would all be gathered together and in a relatively festive mood, or at least as festive as people trapped in a lab over Christmas could be. I would need help, though, to pull it off.

We all drew names and headed off to work on our gifts in private. After I finished blowing up the slide of Stachybotrys Chartarum (and stealing a frame from Goodman's office), I stashed the picture and went in search of Angela. I found her in her office, working on a group portrait of Zack and his family.

"Do you need something, oh killer-of-Christmas?"

I bit back an angry response. I did need her help, after all. "I'd like you to help me with Zack's present."

She gestured to the half finished portrait. "I'm working on Zack's present now."

"No, not that. This is a separate gift from me to Zack."

She gave me a confused look. "Are we supposed to make gifts for everyone now?"

I sighed. I could see that I was going to have to explain things to get her help. "Look, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to swear not to say anything to anyone. Not even Dr. Brennan."

Angela's eyes lit up with interest. "Ohhhh, this sounds good. I swear, not a word to anyone. Now spill."

I explained that Zack and I had started dating shortly after he began work as Brennan's assistant and briefly recapped our conversation from the previous night. Her eyes grew as I talked, and I sensed that a squeal was just around the corner.

I was right. "Awwww! I bet you and Zack are adorable together! Of course I'll help you with his present." She suddenly paused and slapped my arm.

"Ow! What the hell, Angela?"

"Why would you say something so stupid? You know how literal Zack is. No wonder he thinks you want to break up with him."

"Yeah, ok. It wasn't my finest moment. I get that. That's why I want to give him this." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key to my house. "I had this idea that maybe you could shine this up and paint a Z or something on it, and then I'll give it to him when we all exchange gifts."

"Oh, I love that idea! Ok, I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks, Ange. I owe you one."

"No problem, sweetie. Oh, hey, one more thing." She walked up to me with a wicked grin on her face. "What's Zack like in bed? Is he insatiable? He looks like the type that could go all night."

"Ok, this is a conversation that we will _never_ have. Ever. Will not happen."

She stuck out her tongue as I walked out the door. "You're no fun."

I headed up to the lounge and flopped down on the couch. The lack of sleep was catching up to me and I quickly fell asleep. The next thing I knew, Angela was shaking my arm. I sat up, trying to clear the sleep from my brain.

"I finished with the key. Here it is."

She help out a small gold box tied with a red ribbon. "Come on. We're all going to exchange gifts downstairs."

"Let me grab my other present, and I'll meet you down there."

When I joined the others, I was slightly surprised to find an empty space between Booth and Zack. I sat down, hoping that it was a good sign. We began exchanging presents, and everyone seemed pleased with what they received. The gifts were passed around so we could all see them. I had to admit, we came up with some pretty good presents considering we had very limited supplies. When Dr. Brennan drifted into the room, I decided it was time to give Zack my gift.

I stood up and cleared my throat. Angela was practically vibrating with excitement and everyone else was looking at me questioningly.

"Um, I have something I want to say, and I want to say in front of all of you. I said something really stupid yesterday, and I hurt someone very important to me without even realizing it. So, I want to correct that today." I sat down and looked into Zack's eyes, trying to block out the others in the room. I needed to do this in front of them so that Zack would know I wasn't ashamed of him. "I'm sorry, Zack. I absolutely did not mean what I said, and I never meant to make you feel like I wanted to end our relationship." I ignored the shocked silence that met this statement and went on. "I love you, Zack. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone, and I want to give you this."

He took the small box and slowly pulled the ribbon off. He opened it and picked up the key. Angela had gone a great job. It was polished and had a small Chinese character painted onto it. He looked from me to the key and back again.

"What does this mean, Hodgins?"

Angela spoke up. "It's the Chinese character for love, sweetie."

Zack glanced in her direction, then returned his focus to me. "I realize that. What I mean is, why are you giving me this?"

"Because I want you to know that I am not ashamed of you in any way, shape, or form. And because I don't want you to be all the way at the end of the driveway anymore. I want you to move into the main house with me. I want to sleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning. What do you say, Zack? Will you move in with me?" My voice was shaking as I finished speaking.

Zack examined the key, turning it in his fingers as if the answer to my question were hidden in its groves. He looked intently into my eyes, and I could almost see that genius brain of his trying to figure things out. I did my best to let the love I felt for him show in my eyes, and I could see the change in his stance when he made his decision.

"I would like very much to live with you, Hodgins. And I love you, too."

With that, Zack shocked everyone by dipping his head and kissing me. It was long, slow, and sweet, and in many ways felt like our first kiss. I dimly heard the click of a camera off to the side as we came up for air.

"Awwwww! Isn't that the sweetest thing ever?" Angela, of course. I made a mental note to get a copy of the picture.

Dr. Goodman stepped up to us. "Well, gentleman, I must say this comes as a surprise. I'd like to be the first to offer you my congratulations."

Zack smiled and blushed lightly. "Thank you, sir."

Booth shook my hand and clapped Zack on the shoulder. "Hey, if you two squints are happy together, then I'm happy for you.

Dr. Brennan regarded us silently. She didn't say anything for a few moments, and just as I was about to suggest we leave, she spoke. "I think this is going to be a very good thing for both of you. I hope you have a happy life together."

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan."

"I second that, Dr. B. Thanks a lot."

Goodman looked at his watch. "Well, it's nearly time for our evaluation. Hopefully, we will all be able to leave and salvage some of this Christmas."

When the medical team arrived, we all had blood drawn and waited to hear the results. A couple of hours later, we had our answer.

"No contagion. You are all free to leave. Merry Christmas."

Everyone rushed for the door, calling 'Merry Christmas' as they left. I felt Zack take my hand as we walked toward the door and smiled at him.

"Come on, Zack. Let's go home."

THE END


End file.
